I swear I have the strength and stamina of a horse. I can climb, run, move, and dance, for what can seem like hours. I would naturally have the makings of an athlete except for one thing — for me, working out is so. boring. My attention span suddenly drops the minute I hit the gym. I will start doing 30 squats and stop at five. I will promise myself to run for 15 minutes, but will never go past speed four. In short, I have no self-discipline and no accountability when it comes to exercising my body. The mental strength did not match the potential of my body.
For years, I have always wanted to be someone who worked out, because I knew the importance of moving our bodies for good health. My resolution every New Year stayed the same; workout at least three times a week. Tone my body. Lose the fat. And every year, I took the path of least resistance, exerting the smallest amount of energy possible. It was all too easy to be lazy, especially since the results of working out are not immediate.
This changed for me in 2019. My biggest shift came with finally understanding that self-care includes self-discipline. How could I ever reach the top without taking the steps up? So, I dug deep into the understanding of myself to build these 5 habits that helped me be someone who works out. I've implemented these habits since the new year, and have found myself moving my body consistently four-five times a week! Along with building healthier eating habits, I have lost three inches all around and feel younger than ever.
THE HABITS:
1. MOVE OUTSIDE YOUR BODY'S COMFORT ZONE
Asking my body to show up for me in movements outside of its comfort zone helped me to combat the part of my mind that thinks working out is boring. Taking classes like dance, lyra, aerial silks, flexibility, swimming, pole dancing, and so on have satiated my longing to keep learning, while providing some of my best workouts. What's so effective about these classes is that learning a new craft takes the lead, so you're fully involved in every moment, while reaping the benefits of a full-body workout.
2. AFFIRMATIONS
Because non-traditional fitness classes can get expensive fast, I keep them to twice a week (currently, I take silks on Tuesdays and dance hip-hop on Wednesdays), which means the other two to three times I work out in the week, I'm hitting the gym. I truly never enjoyed running but this year I started listening to affirmations as I ran, or great positive podcasts (shoutout Super Soul Sundays!). The positive messages helped me turn something I typically did not like into a moment for self-improvement for my mind & body. I have also started to look forward to hitting the treadmill to get my dose of positive affirmations!
3. ENVISION IMPROVEMENT
My inability to complete a set of squats, or really anything when it came to weights, was due to not seeing the results I wanted right away. So I started envisioning my body improving with every movement; when I am doing squats, I imagine my booty getting bubbly. When I do push ups, I feel my shoulder blades coming together, then pulling apart. With every crunch I do, I imagine my muscles making its way through fat cells. We know how powerful of a manifestation technique vision boards are, and this takes it to the next level because it feels like your goals are closer than you think!
4. SPA AS A REWARD
Since I naturally take the path of least resistance, setting something I loved at the end of something I didn't necessarily enjoy helped me to be better at working out. My favorite reward for myself is hitting the spa. Knowing that after I put all this work in to my body, I can relax in a steam-sauna-jacuzzi combo makes it all feel worth it. You can put whatever you love as a reward for taking care of your body, just be careful on not making it something overly indulgent that might negate your hard work!
5. REALIZING I DESERVE TO FEEL AND LOOK GOOD
I love my body. I don't care if I lose a single pound. I just knew my sedentary habits were not going to work in my favor as I got older. Once I understood that this body is a gift that I have the responsibility of caring for, pulling myself out of bed and into a workout for the sake of my well being became effortless and easy.
What we do today builds our tomorrow. All the small steps we make right now require our commitment and consistency in order for our bigger goals to come to life. Whenever you are feeling discouraged on fulfilling your resolutions, whatever they may be, remember that you are worthy of having your biggest dreams come true... just take the steps!